Massive explosions in Damascus strike top Syrian army building

Two loud explosions targeted one of Syria’s top military command buildings in the capital Damascus on Wednesday, engulfing the building in flames, residents and state-television said.

They said the explosions struck the General Staff Command Building (Hay’at al Arkan) in the Umayad Square in central Damascus, which is one of the top military headquarters in the country.

There was no immediate word on casualties but ambulances could be heard racing to the sealed-off area.

The Syrian information minister said the attack had caused “only material damage” and that security forces were chasing “armed terrorists” – a term the authorities use to refer to insurgents waging a violent uprising to oust Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Gunfire and other smaller blasts could be heard after the explosions, as well as the sound of ambulance sirens. Many roads in the center of the capital were blocked, residents said.